The Indian Premier League [IPL] auction in the past has thrown up a lot of surprises. Some big players have gone unsold while unknown cricketers have found stardom after fetching huge money at the auction.
Players like KC Cariappa and M Ashwin, over the last two editions of the league, were bought at high prices which caught fans by surprise.
This time, again, it is expected to be no different as the franchises will surely have done plenty of research on Indian domestic cricketers.
Here, we look at five uncapped Indian players who could go for a fortune in the 2017 IPL auction.
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T NATARAJAN
Tamil Nadu haven’t been known to produce a lot of fast bowlers over the years, but that trend might be changing now. T Natarajan is among the crop of quicks who led Tamil Nadu to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy in 2016/17.
Natarajan made his name in the Tamil Nadu Premier League in 2016, taking 10 wickets. With his yorkers and variations in the death overs, expect a few teams to be interested in his services.
K GOWTHAM
It’s not easy for a bowler to break into the Karnataka team, with the state boasting a strong bowling unit. K Gowtham, though, took his opportunity with both hands this season and became one of the key components of his state team in the Ranji Trophy.
What makes Gowtham a valuable asset is that apart from his off-spin, he is also a handy batsman. He may have a low batting average in T20 cricket but his strike-rate of 166.66 is really impressive.
ADITYA TARE
Although he has led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title, Aditya Tare’s most famous moment came when he hit a six off James Faulkner to guide Mumbai Indians into the IPL playoffs against Rajasthan Royals in 2014.
Tare was with the SunRisers Hyderabad last season, but didn’t play a big part in their title-winning campaign and was subsequently released. As a wicket-keeper, who is very good with the bat in hand, expect there to be some demand for the Mumbai Ranji captain.
MOHAMMED SIRAJ
There are not many good T20 Indian fast bowlers available in the auction and that should open the door for Mohammed Siraj. The 22-year-old averages 17.18 with an economy rate of 7.05 from 10 T20 matches.
He was very impressive in the recently concluded inter-state zonal T20 tournament which would have surely caught the eye of the franchises.
PRITHVI SHAW
Prithvi Shaw made the news in 2013 when, as a 14-year-old, he slammed 546 runs from 330 balls in a Harris Shield match, which was an Indian record in school cricket back then.
At the age of 17, Shaw made his first-class debut earlier this year in the Ranji Trophy and struck a century in his first game. He is also an integral part of the Indian U-19 team at the moment.